Survivor Story: Rolf

Episode 28 – Interview with Rolf, a sexual abuse survivor

Host Shaunestte Terrell talks with guest Rolf, a sexual abuse survivor. Rolf was sexually abused as a young boy by his father. He talks about how the trauma impacted his life and how he gained the courage to confront his father later in life about the abuse.

Warning: this episode may be triggering to some people. Please listen with care.

About Rolf:

Rolf is the oldest son of immigrants to Canada from Latvia and Germany after WWII. He survived sexual, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his father for over six years. While this abuse destroyed any self-esteem he had as a child, he, with the help of some significant people in his life, has been able to successfully heal through many years of therapy and personal growth. A significant healing that allowed him to ultimately establish a very successful career. He never thought he would amount to anything as a young adult, as the damage done was profound. Through love and healing he found a reason to live, and a reason to want to thrive. From a small town in Ontario, Canada, with only one stop sign, he climbed the corporate ladder to become a top financial officer of a German manufacturing company. He has negotiated purchasing contracts for his company, with the top pharmaceutical companies in the world. He has worked with high profile business leaders and companies, and has continued his education at Franklin University by attending supplemental education courses at NYU and Harvard University. He now lives in Maui, Hawaii where his current interests are to pay it forward in the hope of helping abuse victims understand how to escape the bonds of abuse, find therapists that can help, understand the healing process, and how to move beyond healing to thriving. He is also interested in helping professionals, and those who love victims of abuse, better understand and help their abused loved one. He is writing a book about his experiences and lessons learned, called “The Alchemy of Precious Scars” and hopes to have it published within the next year.

Host– Shaunestte Terrell

Guest– Rolf, a sexual abuse survivor